AWN Headline News

ABC has decided to redesign its Disney's One Saturday Morning line-up starting December 9, 2000. Instead of airing three half-hour series and interstitials during a two-hour programming block, they will air four half-hour episodes. This move will secure start times for all four series, which up until now floated around the two-hour window depending on the length of the various animated and live-action interstitials. Until their new series LLYOD IN SPACE joins the block in 2001, ABC will air TEACHER'S PET, WEEKENDERS and two episodes of RECESS.

Nickelodeon Films and Paramount Pictures have asked producer/actor Dan Schneider to pen the script for their next animated feature based on Keith Graves' short story PET BOY. The story will unravel the adventures of a pet-loving boy and his trip to an alien planet after discovering a secret alien pet selling operation at his local pet store. The project came to Nick as a pitch from Graves and producer John Williams. Schneider might be best known for his role as Dennis on the '80s sitcom HEAD OF THE CLASS.

* Thursday, September 13 Friday, September 14, 2001. Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.

Entry Deadline: May 15, 2001.

Rhinoceros Visual Effects and Design has created the visual effects for a new New York State Lottery 30-second spot. In "Talking Mule," a live-action talking donkey ponders why miners bother panning for gold when all they need to do is play New York Lottery's "24K" game. Rhinoceros developed a highly efficient new system of simulating speech for "Talking Mule" that called for Inferno compositing, rather than the standard CGI work.

Saban International, the distribution division of Fox Family Worldwide, has promoted Julie Wineberg to senior VP of international sales and management, Tony Howe to VP of international business and legal affairs and Maria Torregrosa to VP of sales. Wineberg will increase her work with international Fox Kids channels while continuing to oversee all aspects of the division's day-to-day television sales administration. Previously, she served as VP of international sales management. Howe will continue negotiating and spearheading co-productions and distribution deals across all media worldwide.

* Thursday, January 18 Friday, January 19, 2001. New York, New York, U.S.A.

On September 4, the new afternoon Monday-Thursday line-up will be unveiled with a "POKEMON Top 15 Countdown," highlighting the most popular characters selected by viewers. The three series set for the Monday-Thursday schedule are POKEMON, HISTERIA! and THE SYLVESTER & TWEETY MYSTERIES. The fourth spot will rotate throughout the fall, with series such as THE ZETA PROJECT and X-MEN: EVOLUTION.

THE SIMPSONS came in 39th place with an 8.5 rating and a 13 share. At #65, KING OF THE HILL earned a 6.2 rating and a 10 share. On the WB, THE PJS only grabbed a 1.4 rating and a 2 share in its Sunday 7:30 pm time slot. These ratings and shares represent primetime TV in the U.S. on broadcast networks for the week starting Monday, November 13 through Sunday, November 19, 2000. A rating is the percentage of households that tuned into the program in the entire universe of TV homes. The universe estimate for the 2000-2001 television season is 102.2 million TV homes.

Oxygen Media is in talks to secure the rerun rights to XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS. XENA reruns currently air on USA Network and Sci-Fi Channel, but if Oxygen's deal closes they will have first airings of episodes from the 1999-2000 and 2000-2001 seasons. What Oxygen will have to dish money wise has yet to be released, but it might be quite a bit of cash considering that the series has other cable suitors. XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS announced in October that it would end production at the end of this its sixth year.

pmG (project:messiah Group) announced earlier this month that they have been invited by Intel to be one of twelve leading digital content creators and software developers to demonstrate products designed for the upcoming Itanium processor. The young company (started in January 2000) has already made a big impact on the industry. To be approached by Intel along with companies like Discreet, Avid|SOFTIMAGE, and NewTek in such a short time, is rather impressive.